I have quite a lot medium format folders (those with a bellows), but I'm seeing myself using TLRs more and more often and my pre-war Rolleiflex is now my favorite medium format camera. I'm convinced, that there is no better analog camera for street photography, not only because they are unobtrusive and very silent, but also simply because people seem to really like this type of camera and often even ask to be photographed by one of those.
Thank you very much for mentioning the Minolta Autocord. I have used both Rolleiflex 2.8 GX and Autocord III and am very impressed with the pictures taken with the cheap Autocord. It would be the Minolta if I were to buy my own TLR. You make great videos, informative and to the point. Keep it up that way!
My first TLR was a Mamiya C330 Professional F that I got in 1974. I used it until the early 2000's when I went digital and I sold it. I just very recently picked up a Yashica Mat-124 G and absolutely love it. It is light and very quiet. I love the waist level finder and the 6X6 format so much. The fixed lens is a drawback but then if I need lens choices I have my Hasselblad 503CX. I do love the waist level finder and the 6X6
That was fantastic. I really liked the photo of your dog on the plank with the puffy clouds behind him. The wood grain and his eyes are so sharp while the background is soft, pleasant, and undefined so the viewer's imagination can fill in the perfect landscape. Clouds are important for scale and to define the shy. Getting that with an SLR would be very difficult because the subject would move when one tries to get into position. I have an Olympus Flex and an ANSCO. I recently bought a very early Rollei Automat, but I also bought some baby TLRs which I think will be perfect for candid shots. We shall see. Thanks for this video.
20ish years ago i bought a pair of yashicas a D and i can't remember the other (it's broke, and i was going to get it fixed) i loved that D sooo much. unfortunately i dropped it from a height and the shutter button got pushed in. i think now would be a good time to get it fixed. i'm not trying to brag here, but whin i went from single to twin, i stopped using a light meter and was by instinct making the aperture and speed settings in my head. yes i had miscalculations but more hits than not. at the same time i got the cameras i bought a chunk of her old film stock. mostly c41 black and white. i found an interesting thing about that film. if you ignore the black and white aspect of the film and have it developed and printed as color then you get free tone and wowee zowee were the results stunning thank you, you have inspired me to get back into film photography
Been wanting a TLR for awhile now. Once my mamiya 6 restoration project is done I'm probably going to start looking for one that is beat up and needs to be brought back to life.
Fantastic video! I've been shooting a few weeks with a Rolleiflex 3.5B I bought recently at a local camera shop and I absolutely love it. I rarely use the Mamiya 6 anymore as a result, preferring now the 3.5B for medium format and my Leica M6 for 35mm.
Coincidentally I just returned from walking the streets of the downtown area photographing with my Rolleiflex and I saw that you posted this video. The TLRs are my favorite medium format cameras. I also have the Mamiya C330 that I prefer to use in the studio due to its size and weight.
I have the Rollei Automat, 75mm Zeiss Tessar lens. 4 Element, very sharp at 5.6 down to 16. Typical tessar it's contrasty! Use a lens hood. I know they look ugly, but flare is worse! It was good enough fror Irving Penn. He had lots for a major shoot. Avedon also used Rollei! Close-ups with those special Proxars, make magic! Sheer hell to focus. My screen is replaced ages ago, so very bright and clear. Hard use esp of older cameras, will show in Yashica.. The Compur shutter in Rolleiflex is better. End conclusion! Unless big prints made in darkroom, there will be no difference. Same for Zeiss lenses, Planar or Tessar. One thing the cameras share is that they are stunningly beautiful! People are enchanted to be snapped! You might have to send copies! Enjoy. Bravo!
Thank you for sharing this as, moving from digital to film and then moving from a single lens to a TLR, really requires some knowledge to understand what is involved.
Thank you so much for this video, absolutely brilliant. I've just ordered a Yashica Mat on eBay and was checking YT after that for videos on TLR's and came across yours. Your knowledge and beautiful images are greatly appreciated, and I'm looking forward to receiving the camera even more now.
My first serious camera was a cheap Uniflex TLR that I used through high school and first year of college. I’ve now come back to the TLR with several Yashicas. They’re great for what I like - landscapes and architecture.
TLRs are wonderful. I now have 3, a Rolleicord, a Yashica 124 G, and a Brownie Hawkeye. We used a Hawkeye on a trip to Yellowstone when I was 10. Recently reprinted the photos. About to shoot a new roll to compare. No control over sped or aperature but hey, it’s about having fun.
Thanks very much for this very informative video. I've just bought a Zeiss Ikonflex as my first TLR, so am excited to see what I can do with it. A really good tip about being able to use slow shutter speeds due to the leaf shutter and being able to stabilise the camera.
Thanks very much! I've run a couple of films through it so far, but not yet developed them. Can't wait to see what comes out! TLRs are fun to use though - slows down the photographic process & you get a weird sense of occasion that you certainly don't get with DSLRs.
I recently got my first tlr, an American Ciroflex! I got it for 40 bucks at an antique mall in near perfect condition, just had to give the focusing glass a clean. Its really basic but a cool intro into tlrs. The camera is even more special since I put a little work into them. but my eyes are always on rolleicords
Any TLR is special. Whenever you go and shoot with your twin-lens camera, it is an occasion! Would you agree? :-) Congrats on an antique mall find! They are getting increasingly hard to find!
Great video Ari and wonderful pictures! I have only two MF cameras. One of those is a TLR, a Rolleicord V. I like it a lot! I would still use it more if my favorite films (Orwo) would be available in 120. The Mamiya with the interchangeable lenses and the bellows sounds very interesting. Never heard of this kind of TLR before.
@@ShootOnFilm I was lucky to get a copy in very good condition. Bought it last year from a young woman in my town during the pandemic. It was the camera of her grandfather and, although she is a photographer, she decided to sell it and just keep a Canon SLR from him she really uses. Not sure if I had done the same because you never know. She liked the idea that I would use the camera and it's not just part of a collection and said her grandpa would have loved that too.
@@careypridgeon I buy their UN54, N75, DN21 and LF10 in bulk and load it myself into empty cartridges. I do not have a loading machine but just load it manually in the dark, which works fine for me. But if you need the help of somebody else, it's much more complicated. And I agree, a color film would be great!
The results manage to be timeless and good fidelity. I like the overhead crowd scene and love the portraits. I find the cameras a little tricky to focus accurately. I think I need a bright screen *without* a split prism thingy.
On the close up lenses for the Zeis Ikon TLR, they were angled out, angled out on the viewing lens to reduce or eliminate parallax when taking close ups.
Great explanation about TLR's. The best I have watched so far. I recently purchased a Yashica MAT 124G. Thank you for including it in your video as well.
Agree 100% my yashica-c tlr is my favorite camera to shoot. it was the perfect first step into larger film size and its compactness has left my bronica gathering dust.
A nice collection. I only have one TLR, a Flexaret V which was my first medium format camera. Got it for under 100 € and it's very well made, in excellent condition and takes very good pictures, a great value indeed. I really like it and it's a nice, compact and relatively light (for a medium format one) camera to just carry around and very quick to use because of that handy leather case. The viewfinder hood is great, just push the "lid" down to close, the sides fold automatically, no need to fold them by hand like in many waist level finders. It also has the magnifying glass and a sports finder for both 6x6 and 35mm. I don't have the adapter parts to use 35mm ( I believe these originally came with those) but on the other hand I don't find them that necessary as I have several 35mm cameras which are much smaller and handier. Of course the need to use a separate light meter slows it down, I believe there are TLR:s with built in light meters but mine does not have one. I currently use my Kiev 88 more than the Flexaret because of the interchangeable lenses though.
@@ShootOnFilm You have such an easy way of explaining the TLRs. For those unfamiliar, I'm sure your video is extremely helpful. Your grasp of using TLRs and your love of them is the same for me. I collect accessories for my two Mamiyas. I most recently purchased a Paramender! Thanks for this excellent video. I have watched it three times now!!!
awesome video my dude :) just purchased a Walzflex TLR from a local antique store. sent it out for a CLR, and i can't wait to get it back. i love your outro- life is definitely way too short, don't take it too seriously!
In 1958 my first good camera was a Sawyer's Mk IV, a Japanese copy of the Rollei 4x4 that used 127 film. The camera was extremely sturdy, compact, light, and had a very good lens. But today, 127 film is very hard to find.
I have heard good things about the Minolta Autocord, I sold my Rolleiflex years ago and I wish that I hadn't. It was only Tessar, so it's not the biggest sacrifice that I have made, but while it wasn't the sharpest lens at infinity, it really took beautiful pictures up closer- in the people range. And tonally it was smooth, better than any other camera that I have owned.
I'm afraid having to oppose your opinion about the quality of Seagull and Lubitel cameras. The Seagull is a very sturdy and good quality copy of the Yashica Mat. I use them both in parallel without any quality issues. The Lubitel 166 camera is sold as a camera for Lomography. But its purpose definitely is to serve as a regular TLR. It is nearly indestructable, extremely lightweight, compact and serves more than acceptable quality pictures.
Great video! One con of an SLR is that the photographer sees nothing (just black) through the viewfinder while the photo is being taken. This disruption does not happen with a TLR.
I am 77years old and have migrated from a dslr to the latest iPhone. However your excellent video has me thinking about at least trying the trl and film. I am sure you directed your last comment to me that life is too short. 😂Consider me a subscriber at least.
So entertaining and informative video in the same time. I really enjoyed it (even though I'm only shooting SLR and have Rollei's SL66). And the ending of the video is so cool. :-)
Flexarets are truly beautiful. I have my grandfather’s, and whilst there is fungus on the lens unfortunately, I can only imagine how beautiful it would be without the fungus
I'm enjoying your no-nonsense approach to photography, especially b&w. I purchased a 'Olympic' TLR (tri-lausar anastigmat C f=8cm; f/3.5-22; B-1500) about a year ago and am having fun with it (need to do better with home development though). I have tried to find any info about this camera, no luck. Do you have any suggestions? Thanks.
As I get older I am finding it more and more difficult to focus in that small finder. Even with my glasses on it is a struggle to focus even using the split circle. So I am seriously looking at getting a MF TLR or rangefinder. And if course they are cool and off the beaten path.
This is perhaps one of the weirder reasons to watch this video, but I'm writing a story with a vintage camera as the main prop, and I chose this one for its unique and interesting look. But I, being an artist not a photographer, was very confused by twin lens reflex cameras. So thank you very much for this video and how beginner friendly it is! Now that I understand what TLRs are and how they work, hopefully I can make a much more convincing and fun story. I do have one question though, if you will. Do any of these cameras have flash functions on them? And if not, would it be feasible to create one that does? Thank you again for this video, its very informative!
Wow, what an exciting writing assignment!!! I do not think any of them have an inbuilt flash. However, what most of them have is a plug where you can plug in a wire, a cable, that then can fire a separate flash synchronised with the camera. So yes, you can have the flash functionality, but it's always a separate flash either handheld or attached to the camera. Like this: www.flickr.com/photos/97603721@N00/34374934660
Always Enjoyable .. “why wouldn’t you, life is short”.. exactly my reasoning behind just picking up my first MF camera, which happens to be a TLR. Curious if you’ve ever ran across this particular Japanese brand, made in the 50’s and meant to directly compete with Rollieflex, they apparently put great efforts into making a high end TLR as a result, called the Kalloflex K2. Hard to find, not many circulating, and after seeing a video on one did a quick search and happened to stumble across one of few that have been available (perfect timing it seems), from an antique dealer that happened to have one sitting around from an estate sale, with tons of accessories and the original paperwork.. it arrives in a day and so looking forward to diving in. If you have any thoughts or experience with this camera pro brand, I’d love to hear them. Cheers.
SLR only caught on when small format fim (35mm) became "professional" (1970s) because SRL medium format cameras are very heavy. TLRs are a great choice for any medium format photographer, especially when wearing glasses! (There are waist finders for small format SLRs, but what you see is very tiny). -- Oh and as you mentioned stereo cameras: They are a blast! I have a Loreo 35mm camera, but essentially one can get stereo pictures with any camera. Only thing: you can hardly show the stereo effect on RU-vid or Instagram. That's why they are neglected, but anyone who has seen them in a stereo viewer is amazed! (Hope I didn't miss any video you made about stereo cameras yet.)
Additional comment. Find a Good lab, use good film c-41. Have prints made 6x6" . Compare to your Leica! The TLR colors and look ,will knock you out! The squre image is roughly 3.5 times bigger than 35mm. Contact prints can be shared!
@@ShootOnFilm I design furniture and often use a mirror to look at a design. When an object is out of context it easier to access the design. Maybe moving in the opposite direction has the same effect. Great video, thanks. You should make a tshirt that says, “Life is short, use a TLR”!
@@kmcsmart “Life is short, use a TLR” -- i like that!! And, I believe you are after something here. Never thought about that -- but just making it a mirror image and moving in the opposite direction forces you to look at the composition with fresh eyes!
@@ShootOnFilm Yes, that’s exactly what I mean. Another composition trick you can try is to get a small piece of mirror and hold it flat above your eyes like you are resting it under the brim of a baseball cap or using it to shield the sun from you eyes. Then look up at the mirror and you will see everything reflected upside down. I learned this from a portrait painter. It would work well for photography too. Now all the shapes have no context and you can see them for what they really are. Lots of fun and very enlightening.
I have a 1957 Yashica Mat with a 75mm 3.5 Lumaxar lens, a Seagull 4bi tlr with a 75mm 3.5 lens, also I have a Lubitel 2 with a 75mm f4.5 lens. I have the Kiev 6c 6x6 slr with a 90mm 2.8 Vega lens. I love the breech mounting system and the waistlevel finder which can be focused at eyelevel with its clever mirror system, stolen from Rolleiflex?
It's much lighter than 330, but no interchangeable lenses -- other than add-on lenses, like Rolleinar. It is quite a different shooting experience than 330 and I prefer Rollefilex over 220 / or 330 any time. (I own 220 and a Rolleflex). But it really is a personal preference. It is a great camera if it is in good condition. It all depends on the condition really.
I have the Minolta Autocord with 75mm F 3.5 Lens and it is so sharp it truly surprised me. I find it difficult to focus quickly. So I will try to Zone focus as much as possible for street work. I am a little worried that the depth of field will not be as deep for the 6x6 as it is on my 35mm so I am interested and a little concerned about zone focusing but what do you do except try.
I was a bit scared that you would knock the rolleiflex of the table when it was so close to the edge. :/ A lot of nice info about the TLRs! Though do you think there are any differences with those models of TLRs regarding color film?
I never owned one -- I've held a few in my hands. They look really nice, and to my understanding are of fairly good quality. But sorry, no real first-hand experience.
Yes. I often use yellow. Winter is my favorite time for dark red filter. Check out the end part of this video: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-gY1khGEEoFI.html
Tough. I suppose they both work? Choose the unit that has fewer scratches and fungus on the main lens. If no difference, go with a Rolleicord. That's what I'd do :-)
Thanks, thanks. Like with many old cameras, the condition is more important than the brand. I never owned a Ikoflex. But based on their specs the lens is probably good. However, they seem to go only to 1/300 speed, and then you need to advance the film by observing the number through the red window. The latest model, though, Favorit, seems to be a nice more ups-spec version. So a bit primitive, but if the lens is without fungus and searches it probably takes good pictures.
I took even a closer look. It really looks like a nice camera. Good lenses, and some models are actually pretty advanced. I gotta find myself one for trials :-)
